Painesville educators experienced the stressors of living in poverty during a simulation on Aug. 11.

“Most of us come from backgrounds really different than our students and it’s important that we understand the full picture to have empathy and understanding,” said Painesville Schools Assistant Superintendent Josh Englehart. “As a component of our improvement plan, we started some really direct, deep, sustained professional development around poverty and the implications for us as educators.”

About 60 teachers participated in the first session. Every teacher and paraprofessional in the district will get the opportunity to experience it. There will be a total of four, three-hour sessions.

During the sessions, the teachers are divided into groups and assigned a family.

Advertisement

“Each family has a packet with the resources they have and the outline of what their circumstances are,” he said. “Every 15 minutes is a week and we do a month. So within that week, there are some people that have to get to work to get a paycheck and at the same time the kids have to get to school. There are some services that people need to access like the bank while it is open or a pawn shop. All these things are happening in a very realistic way.”

Englehart said he hopes the simulation is a powerful experience that will start a positive momentum.

“There are some things as an organization that we need to do differently in order to accommodate the population of this city,” he said.

The poverty simulation was facilitated by Lakeland Community College Nonprofit and Public Service Center Director Dione DeMitro.

“Our view through the center is around collective impact, trying to help nonprofits come together, collaborate and take on various issues in the community,” DeMitro said. “This is one way that we do that. While we are addressing poverty, we’re also trying to help build connections between participants and the agencies that are here.”

There were several volunteers from area agencies including the YMCA, Salvation Army, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Catholic Charities and Leadership Lake County, she said.

Several school districts have participated or plan to participate in the poverty simulation, including Wickliffe, Perry and Willoughby-Eastlake Schools.

“I think school districts are becoming increasingly aware of the impact the stress of these circumstances have on the students in the classroom,” she said. “Districts are really dedicated to making sure teachers have the tools they need to help students be positioned for success.”